Texting and Driving Statistics

Posted on Tuesday, August 13th, 2013 at 5:20 pm

Nearly everyone seems to be happy with the ban, perhaps with the exception of staunch libertarians or the occasional phone-addicted driver. More or less, it was welcomed as a necessary legal adjustment to a developing modern problem.

Unfortunately, the law isn’t having the desired impact. In 2012, 3,328 people died a as a direct result of distracted drivers. The good news is, and this may seem strange considering teenagers are generally considered the most high-risk demographic when it comes to texting and driving is that teen auto accidents have been in decline. Nationwide surveys and studies suggest that it is teenagers who are taking the law more seriously than adults. Nevertheless, distraction-related auto deaths were only slightly down since 2011, when the law was passed, despite more than 421,000 people being injured by a distracted driver.

Texting & Driving Stats

A AAA poll found that 94 percent of respondents feel that texting and driving is a serious threat to road safety. Theyre right. According to the National Safety Council, 1.6 million car accidents are caused by texting (or emailing) and driving every year in the U.S. Regardless, 35 percent admitted to doing it at least once in the month prior to taking the survey.

Perhaps, as many law enforcement officials are saying, the law needs to be strengthened. They also admit it is difficult to catch people in the act. Its quite simple to quickly put ones phone away and deny having texted while driving. However, a stiffer penalty might be in order.

Still, law enforcement is doing what they can, primarily in the way of education and awareness. Officers often travel to local schools to talk to students about the dangers of texting and driving and they encourage parents, not only to educate their children, but to take the dangers and laws seriously themselves. Hopefully, as kids have a tendency to do, they will gently remind their parents of the law while driving together.

Don’t Be a Victim

Lets hope we can see a dramatic dip in distraction-related accidents next year and that the law and the many people helping to enforce it have an impact. There are enough car accidents as it is. Many, of course, are unavoidable. But texting while driving certainly is avoidable.

If you are the victim of a distraction-related car accident, you might be entitled to damages and compensation. Zavodnick, Zavodnick & Lasky, LLC have experienced lawyers in the fields of automobile accidents and personal injury. Be sure to give us a call in the event of an accident.